{"id":959780,"date":"2026-05-14T17:49:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:49:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/959780\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T17:49:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T17:49:15","slug":"liverpool-city-council-leads-citywide-approach-to-healthy-screen-use-for-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/959780\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool City Council leads citywide approach to healthy screen use for children"},"content":{"rendered":"

Liverpool City Council has brought together partners from education, health, early\u00a0years\u00a0and youth services to develop a shared approach to supporting healthy screen use for children and young people across the city.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

At an event on Friday 1 May 2026, local organisations talked about what the evidence says on how screens and social media affect children\u2019s health,\u00a0wellbeing\u00a0and development. They agreed that families,\u00a0schools\u00a0and services need clear, practical guidance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The discussion follows\u00a0recent Government announcements<\/a>, including new national guidance on screen use in the early years and a commitment to statutory guidance for schools.\u00a0\u00a0
Liverpool City Council is working to interpret this guidance at a local level, ensuring it reflects the realities of family life while prioritising children\u2019s health and wellbeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Councillor Harry Doyle, Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, said:<\/strong>\u00a0
\u201cAs a\u00a0teacher,\u00a0I\u2019ve\u00a0seen\u00a0first\u2011hand\u00a0how technology can support learning,\u00a0creativity\u00a0and connection, but also how too much or poorly managed screen use can affect children\u2019s behaviour,\u00a0wellbeing\u00a0and development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cParents and carers are not\u00a0anti\u2011technology;\u00a0they just want balanced, practical advice that works for real life. Liverpool City Council is committed to working with schools, health\u00a0partners\u00a0and communities to provide clear,\u00a0non\u2011judgemental\u00a0guidance that helps families keep children safe,\u00a0healthy\u00a0and thriving in a digital world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The guidance highlighted at the event reinforces that not all screen use is equal. Evidence shows that shared screen time with an engaged adult is far better for children\u2019s development than solo use;\u00a0that\u00a0slow\u2011paced,\u00a0age\u2011appropriate\u00a0content is preferable;\u00a0and that\u00a0screen\u2011based\u00a0assistive technologies may be essential for children with special educational needs and disabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For babies and young children, the guidance\u00a0advises\u00a0limiting total screen time wherever possible. Screen use for under\u20112s should be avoided except for shared activities that promote bonding and interaction, while for children aged 2\u20135 years, screen time should ideally be kept to around one hour a day or less. Social media and\u00a0AI\u2011enabled\u00a0tools are not designed for young children and should be avoided.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Professor Matt Ashton, Director of Public Health for Liverpool City Council, said:<\/strong>\u00a0
\u201cScreens are now an unavoidable part of everyday life, but the evidence is clear that balance matters.\u00a0Long periods\u00a0of screen use can displace activities that are critical for healthy development, such as sleep, physical activity, play and\u00a0face\u2011to\u2011face\u00a0interaction. By working together across Liverpool, we can reduce harm while making sure children\u00a0benefit\u00a0from technology in safe, positive ways.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Liverpool City Council will continue working with regional partners to develop\u00a0a shared evidence\u00a0base and agreed principles for safe screen use, supporting consistent messaging across schools, early years settings,\u00a0and services. The council is encouraging organisations and professionals across the city to champion healthy screen habits and to support parents and carers with clear, realistic advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Liverpool City Council has brought together partners from education, health, early\u00a0years\u00a0and youth services to develop a shared approach…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":959781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,393,4884,179,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-959780","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-liverpool","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=959780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/959780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/959781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=959780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=959780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=959780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}